SS18 ESSENTIALS FOR BEAUTIFUL LOOKING FEET

Ever since I can remember I have always struggled with taking care of my feet as nothing seems to work. My feet are naturally quite dry and sensitive, so when I do apply some sort of ‘special’ foot cream it starts to sting and makes it unbearable for me to walk. This is why I started to try different products, and instead of spending loads of money on regular pedicures, I started to do them myself. I will write a full routine post for you later on but for now, let's focus on my new favourite foot care product.

The foot cream I recently tried out has become my new holy grail skincare item. I came across it when I went on a shopping spree with my mum, and I wish I bought more! It is the Origins' Reinventing the Heel Mega Moisture for Dry, Cracked Feet and retails at £24 so it is quite pricey. I have had it for nearly 3 months now and been using it on and off and have noticed amazing results. Because of the salicylic acid in the cream, it strips the dry skin off while moisturising the fresh layer ensuring your feet are very soft and comfortable. Since I've been using this foot cream it has really boosted my confidence when it comes to having my feet out and wearing sandals and other shoes that expose a bit of my heel.

Because of the lovely weather we've been having, my love for sandals keeps growing, so when I was offered to test the services of FootWay I was beyond excited. Anyone who knows me or reads my blog will know how much I love shoes and that I buy about 3 pairs a week. I have always loved Birkenstock shoes, so just had to get a pair with the voucher I was offered by the company. The pair I decided to go for was the Arizona Regular Birkoflor Myda Espresso which were only £60 in the sale compared to the usual price of between £75 to £90 - bargain! They are sooooo comfortable and make any outfit look super cute, even though you might think they’re granny shoes! I would usually pair them up with a pair of high waisted skinny jeans and a flowy top, or a midi dress in the summer. 
The FootWay website is very easy to navigate as it asks for your shoe size and it can either show you all brands sorted by price or you can select the type of shoes you're looking for. There are many styles to choose from and I struggled a lot picking a favourite pair (because I love all shoes) but have found shoes that are perfect for me. They don't look too bulky on my feet which is great as I find that many buckled sliders look a bit manly, the colour is also very nice as it's a brown-black shade with speckles of glitter (yay). I would highly recommend FootWay for those looking for shoes on a budget as they offer new collections as well as discontinued pairs. I couldn't be happier with the service I received, plus the delivery only took 3 working days which is always a plus especially if you need some shoes for a special occasion or before a holiday! These will definitely be coming with me to Majorca this year.

So my summer essentials for 2018 are the Origins foot cream, fresh pedicure and a comfy pair of sandals. What are your essentials for beautiful looking feet?

*I was sent the pair of shoes to review by FootWay. This post is not sponsored and all opinions are my own.

Lots of love,

Maya xo

REVIEW || THE NEW AND IMPROVED MOISTURE SURGE 72-HOUR AUTO-REPLENISHING HYDRATOR

Some of you may already know that I recently started working for Clinique, and I couldn't be happier to be sharing one of my all-time favourite products with you. The original Moisture Surge Hydrator has been around since 1980's and has not been spoken about enough. Moisture Surge has been labelled the UK's number 2 best-selling moisturiser of all time which is very well deserved. I have tried many moisturisers for my oily-dry combination skin and none of them seemed to work as well as this one.

The first Moisture Surge I have tried was the newer version which was released in 2012 (I think) and I absolutely loved it. It felt very lightweight and soothing on my skin and made the perfect base for my makeup. The new, and improved version, however, is pretty much the same texture as the previous one but with more benefits.

The inspiration behind this miracle in a jar was to bring our skin to a baby-like condition. As we mature, our skin loses its ability to create its own hydration, becoming drier and losing its natural suppleness and healthy glow. Now, the new Moisture Surge 72-Hour Hydrator has been designed to keep your skin hydrated for up to 72 hours from within the dermis even after washing your face! This, of course, does not mean that you shouldn't apply the product twice a day, but what it does mean is that it will deliver a continuous flow of hydration to every living layer of the skin - sort of like watering a plant you can see the water sink in to the roots and that is exactly what this product does.

There are actually 7 different ways you can use your Moisture Surge Hydrator, which make it so much better value for your money! These include:
5-Minute Moisturising Mask - apply a generous amount to your entire face and wash off after 5 minutes for a hydrating face mask.
Cuticle Treatment - tidy up your cuticles in seconds by massaging the product over each nail bed to soften and soothe dry and rough cuticles.
Frizz Fighter - get rid of frizzy hair by applying a dime-size amount onto your palms and running your hands lightly through the ends or any frizzy bits.
Glow on the Go - apply a small amount of the product on the back of your hand alongside a thick swatch of the Chubby Stick Sculpting Highlight, mix both products in together and apply the mixture to the high points of your face as you would with a liquid highlighter.
Dry Spot Soother - apply a small amount directly to any dry spots in need, even over your makeup.
Sheer Bronzer - mix in a liquid bronzer then blend the mixture all over your face for a sun-kissed glow.
Wow Now Practice - apply Moisture Surge onto the back of one of your hands and dab over with face powder - apply only powder onto the other hand and compare results - you should see how smooth the hand will look where you've used the hydrator.

My initial thoughts on this new Moisture Surge are that it made my skin feel like velvet and baby-like. If you've read my Porefessional review you will know what sort of feeling I meant by this, but it is quite indescribable unless you've tried the product yourself. Once I've applied the Moisture Surge I let it sink into my skin for a couple of minutes, (it does have a tacky feeling to it so if you like to put your makeup on such consistencies then go right ahead as it will make it last longer) and go on to apply my makeup. I've found that my makeup sits on my skin a lot better when I use Moisture Surge 72-Hour and actually lasts longer without my foundation separating. Even after I take my makeup off, I can feel how smooth and velvet-like my skin is - this is definitely the best product of 2018 and it's only February! So, well done Clinique! You have really outdone yourself this time!

*Available in UK stores from the 2nd March 2018.

You can purchase the new Moisture Surge 72-Hour Auto-Replenishing Hydrator through their website here.

Lots of love,

Maya xo

REVIEW || INDEED LABS Q10 BOOSTER & EYSILIX 2 TOTAL EYE RESCUER - SKINCARE ITEMS TO START USING IN YOUR 20'S

Now that my 22nd birthday is just around the corner I've been feeling the need to step up my skincare game and start using anti-ageing products. By that, I am not saying that you should start using anti-ageing skincare, all I'm trying to say is that I started to notice lines under my eyes and darker circles under them so I thought now is the time to finally start using products to aid my ageing process in the most natural and graceful way.

I was recently gifted some Indeed Laboratories products by the lovely Maddy from Bux & Bewl including the Q10 Booster and the Eysilix 2 Total Eye Rescuer and I couldn't wait to try them.
Both products are designed for fine lines and wrinkles - whether that's on your face or crow's feet, there's something available for everyone.

The Q10 Booster also helps to defend against free-radicals, is paraben, colourant and fragrance-free and on top of that feels amazing on my skin. The booster is said to be used twice a day (morning and night), either on its own or mixed with a serum, moistures or foundation - I prefer to use it on its own before moisturising, however, it also works amazingly applied onto a beauty sponge before blending foundation. I have noticed an instant glow to my skin and been trying to use this product as instructions say (twice daily), and have also seen a difference in how my skin feels and looks. The Vitamin E and Vitamin C which slow down the ageing process and are antioxidants that get rid oxidant chemicals that are caused by literally everything.

The Eysilix 2 is a 'total eye rescue cream formulated with peptides, ceramides, extracts and probiotics to help instantly smooth wrinkles and reduce the appearance of dark circles and puffiness around the eyes'. Sounds like a dream, right? Well, it sort of is... just like the Q10 booster, this eye cream is free of parabens, colourants and fragrance, and feels amazing on the skin. It's very light-weight and absorbs really quickly so it doesn't mean that you'll have to get up early in the morning just to fit in a new skincare routine as this one only takes a couple of minutes! I do find that this fills up the lines around my eyes nicely and allows my makeup to sit on top of my skin without sinking - I did tell you it was a dreamy product!

These two are honestly some of my new favourite skincare products and I would highly recommend them to all who are wanting to start an anti-ageing skincare routine as these are suitable for all skin types - even sensitive so you can't really go wrong with them now, can you?!

You can purchase the Q10 Booster here, and the Eysilix 2 here.

Lots of love,

Maya xo

REVIEW || POUR MOI? LINGERIE SET FROM UK LINGERIE - BEST LINGERIE FOR CURVY WOMEN

Can we please have a moment of silence for all those women looking for the perfect pretty bra in their actual size that won't break their bank? Thank you. I am in fact one of those poor buggers and can never find my size in high street stores and quite frankly I am fed up with spending around £40 on a bra that will scratch my sides and poke me in the boob as the wire comes out.

So you can only imagine how excited I was when I received an email from UK Lingerie asking to try some of their products. Of course, I had to go for a full set because why the heck not?! I picked a gorgeous balconette bra, knickers and suspender belt. I have a hate-love relationship with balconette bras. They look amazing on, but the majority of the time they dig into my sides or squish my boobs, or even separate them making me look like I'm not wearing anything!

You can buy the set here:

Bra           Knickers        Suspenders

Even though the bra does not have super thick padding, it does provide really good support and natural lift to the breasts. The matching knickers are very comfy and come slightly high waisted which I find very flattering on my figure. I usually wear lacy underwear as I find it most comfortable, but this style of pants is actually so comfy and looks amazing on - I will happily order 10 more pairs of the same style! Now, the suspender belt is beautiful and looks great on, it cinches the waist really nicely but doesn't make it hard for me to breathe which is the most important thing. I don't wear it very often unless I'm wearing a see-through shirt as it looks really lovely 'secretly on show'.

I would highly recommend looking into some sets on UK Lingerie as they have a great variety of brands and cater for many sizes starting from 30A up to 48J so there's something for everyone. The set that I have is the Pour Moi? set and it reminds me a lot of the Agent Provocateur lingerie but at a much better price, of course.

Do you also find it difficult to find your bra size in high street stores?

Lots of love,

Maya xo

REVIEW || BAKERDAYS PERSONALISED LETTERBOX CAKE - HALLOWEEN TREAT FOR EVERYONE

Halloween is definitely one of my favourite holidays, and when it was combined with cake by Bakerdays my life was made. I was asked to pick a design and flavour of cake to try out, so I picked this gorgeous Halloween design on a chocolate chip goodness.

Now, the size of this cake is perfect if you want to surprise a loved one with a little treat as you can have it delivered straight to their door and have it posted through the letterbox. Unfortunately. My postman was clearly daydreaming as he didn’t deliver my cake until I had to reschedule the delivery as he did not read the sign ‘fits through letterboxes’ on the box and labelled it as ‘too big’ - I had to wait an extra few days for my chocolate cake!!

Once my cake arrived I was super excited to put it to the test! Will it still be fresh? Will it taste nice? Will the design look good? Read on to find out...

I thought the cake looked very cute, it was the perfect size to be a treat for 4 people, but me being my greedy self I ended up having half the cake the day I received it, haha. It looked very moist and gooey on the inside which is honestly my most favourite thing about this cake! It smelt amazing as soon as I opened the box, the chocolaty smell was so overwhelming that I couldn’t wait to try it out. 

I really enjoyed the cake, it tasted like a chocolate fudge cake you’d get at a posh restaurant. The icing was very sweet and slightly chewy which I also like in a cake, but because I had such a big piece for pudding I found myself not being able to finish it! You can also try the cakes with a bit of custard or any type of sauce you like, but be careful to not overdo it like I had as it might ruin your experience.

These amazing letterbox cakes also come in big sizes for big events such as Christmas parties. I know for a fact that I’ll be ordering one for Christmas Day! Another great thing about them is that they last up to 2 weeks from delivery, so you can order it before Christmas and keep it in your cupboard and it will still stay fresh for the special day.

You can get your own letterbox cake from Bakerdays here, make sure to specify any allergies etc. when you create your order.

Have you tried a letterbox cake before? What’s your favourite type of cake?

Lots of love,

Maya xo